Drug Use: When to Wage War and When to Regulate

In a recent story done by the AP, New Zealand is looking to regulate the market on designer drugs with the goal to make them safer for those using them. See the article here:http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_NEW_ZEALAND_LEGAL_HIGHS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-08-02-03-43-32 Now, the new law doesn't legalize marijuana or cocaine; rather the intent is to force designer drug makers - which was illegal prior to the law - to adhere to the same regulatory body that pharmaceutical companies do.

Let's face it, the "War on Drugs" has been a global failure. At the same time the drug trade has illustrated to perfection the lucrative money one can make in a free market; granted this free market is the Black Market. The violence witnessed in Mexico and along the US/Mexico border is over the illegal trafficking of drugs. Fields of poppy litter the landscape of the Middle East all in an effort to raise funds for the warlords in the region.

While I am not a drug user nor do I promote the use of abortion as a method of birth control, I recognize the limitations and markets government makes when waging war or making something illegal. Early in the 20th Century America saw the rise of the Mafia mainly due to the prohibiting of alcohol. Some have argued that the side effects and social ills of alcohol differ little to illicit drugs. Not to mention that prescription drugs are a hot commodity and have the same harmful impact if misused as illicit drugs.

The sky will not fall, drug use will not rise dramatically and chaos will not reign in the streets if countries adopt a more regulated approach to illicit drugs. Now, I am typically a proponent to government intervention into the Free Market or our private lives. When the drug trade fills to coffers of those that deem us harm and if regulation can bring about a safer product  then I am open to the notion of government intervention. Often times people confuse the concept of limited government as no government and that is simply not a honest assessment of the thought process.

New Zealand is onto something here and I hope our government will take notice. We have already seen a few states legalize recreational use of marijuana with little public disruption. Perhaps it is time to take a deeper look into all drug use.

Polysorbate 80 In Swine Flu Vaccines = Infertility In Humans

Polysorbate 80 In Swine Flu Vaccines = Infertility In Humans

The article asserts that the WHO jumped the gun on raising the level of urgency to quell the swing flu breakout in Mexico. A few weeks after the big breakout, the wife and I talked about how overblown the swine flu outbreak is and now this article surfaces. Is there a rogue or elite group of people sitting in the UN trying to practice population control? The article does point to a 2009 brief. I never got the vaccine and have never even participated in the annual flu vaccine.

Old Navy T-Shirt sparks outrage

I understand, as I stated on Saturday, that talk radio has been hammering this point for days now. Yesterday while reading about Basilides I internally debated whether to bring this topic up on the blog today. After a fair amount of reflection here I am. Last week four students at Live Oak High School were sent home from school because of wearing Old Navy T-Shirts that proudly display the American Flag. One may wonder why this would be. The boys wore the American flag T-shirts on May 5^th. Cinco de Mayo is a historical day in Mexican lore as it marks a victory the Mexican Army had over the French at the Battle of Puebla. Now, that victory is symbolic for Mexicans because it showed their unity and patriotism.

Nothing ought to be taken away from the heroics of the day for Mexicans as the battle against the French had significance for their country. What is more alarming is that American students inside the United States are requested not to wear a T-shirt, from Old Navy, that displays the American flag on that day because it may offend. Do we no longer live in the United States? Have we sold back a portion of our country to Mexico? Where is Rev. Sharpton or Jackson or the ACLU in defense of these students? Last I checked it is not a crime to wear a t-shirt to school with the American flag on it.

That being said, did the students wear the T-shirts to create a hostile environment? One student, Annicia Nunez, at Live Oak High School said, "I think they should apologize cause it is a Mexican Heritage Day. We don't deserve to be get disrespected like that. We wouldn't do that on Fourth of July" ( http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36981179?GT1=43001). I am all for diversity and understanding of other cultures but we live in America; the melting pot of the world. To say that "we" wouldn't wear a T-shirt with the Mexican flag on it on the Fourth of July out of respect is ridiculous. We all have the same freedoms in America and if anyone wants to wear a T-shirt with the Mexican flag on it on the Fourth of July so be it. Morgan Hill Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Wes Smith issued a statement: "The incident on May 5 at Live Oak High School is extremely unfortunate. While campus safety is our primary concern and administrators made decisions yesterday in an attempt to ensure campus safety, students should not, and will not, be disciplined for wearing patriotic clothing. This matter is under investigation and appropriate action will be taken" (http://www.morganhilltimes.com/news/265447-american-flag-t-shirt-controversy-grabs-nations-attention).

Campus safety, really, this statement is a throw away. The school principal and staff should have never confronted these students nor should they have bowed to pressures of the day. Instead a great teaching moment was lost and our school system failed us again. Why is it when we speak of tolerance and understanding that it is only a one-way street? We all come from different backgrounds and upbringings. Heritage is important, yet you don't see the school system clamping down of those wearing an American flag on June 6^th when it is Sveriges Nationaldag. Where is the outrage then? Again I ask, where is Rev. Sharpton or Jackson or the ACLU? Is it not a violation of these students' civil liberties?

Teleprompter please close the borders

This morning on the Today Show, Vice President Joe Biden responded to Matt Lauer question of “if a member of your family came to you said look I want to go on a commercial airliner to Mexico and back in the week, would that be a good idea?”, “I would tell members of my family and I have. I wouldn’t go anywhere in confine places now. It’s not that is going to Mexico. It you are in a confined aircraft when one person sneezes it goes through the entire aircraft. That’s me. I would not be at this point, if they have another way of transportation, suggesting they ride the subway. So, from my perspective what it relates to mitigation.”

Now Vice President Biden’s office has come back with a statement qualifying his statement as “if they were sick”. Really! The President last night said that closing the borders right now is not an option and equated to closing a barn door after the horse as already gotten out. WOW!!! No one knows how this Swine Flu will mutate or how we can combat it outside of staying out of confined places.

The Vice President needs to understand that his words carry weight. By telling the American public on the Today show that he’d tell his own family to not ride the subway or an airplane can have the same affect on the transportation industry as the label swine flu has had on pork futures. The airline industry is already struggling; the Vice President needs to choose his words more carefully.

Why not close the boarders. MSNBC just had a map of the United States up showing reported cases of the Swine Flu. Every state boarding Mexico had at least one confirmed case. Until the CDC, WHO, and Homeland Security office has a handle on the Swine Flu, doesn’t it make sense to ban all travel to and from Mexico and the United States?

I agree that the Swine Flu is already within our borders but it can still mutate. It is the mutation aspect that closing the borders will protect the citizens of the United States. Whispers online and in the media are hinting toward the notion that Universal HealthCare, had it been established, would have enabled the United States to be ahead of the Swine Flu. Really? Doesn’t Mexico have state run healthcare and look how well it has worked there.

It is time for the teleprompter to say, “We are banning all transportation between the United States and Mexico until we have a better understanding of strain of swine flu.” With the summer approaching and the annual plight of immigrant workers reaches further into the United States, the teleprompter needs to speak.

Mexican-American Drug War: Solution - Legalization

President Obama traveled to Mexico yesterday to meet with Mexican President Felipe Calderon. The discussion that ensued was about the drug war taking place along the American-Mexican border. A few weeks ago Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, “We know very well that the drug traffickers are motivated by the demand for illegal drugs in the United States, that they are armed by the transport of weapons from the United States to Mexico.” As with many consumer goods, the United States is the largest consumer of illegal drugs. According to Drug Sense the U.S. Federal Government spent over $19B in 2003 and $15B year to date. The Merida Initiative established a pledge of $1.4B in security aid to Mexico over the next three years. Clinton is hoping to use $80M to send Black Hawk helicopters to Mexico which President Obama echoed yesterday.

President Obama talks about making tough choices. I applaud him for not pushing for legislation in banning assault rifles as it was a campaign promise to do so. The three major drugs in question are marijuana, cocaine, and heroin. President Obama said, “You can’t fight this war with just one hand” and “You can’t have Mexico making an effort and the United States not making an effort.” The United States has poured billions of dollars down the Drug War drain. What effort is President Obama saying the United States is not making? The drug problem has been around longer then assault rifles.

Did the United States not learn anything from prohibition?

In nearly every speech President Obama gives, he states that Americans are going to need to make tough choices. Here is a suggestion to that tough choice decision making. Legalize illegal drugs. Before you pass judgment apply some common sense here.

Terrorist and Cartels fuel their enterprises with money raised from the drug trade while America Government spends billions of dollars to stem the tide with little success. Mexico claim that the United States is the source of guns for the cartels is misguided. If the cartels did not get guns from America there is huge black market in Asia and the Middle East.

The tough choice is to remove the cash cow from the Terrorists and Cartels. In order to remove their cash cow is for the United States to legalize illicit drugs. President Obama’s administration is planning to spend trillions of dollars to get out the recession, improving health care, and creating energy sources that promotes the “Green” initiative. The short term funding plan is to borrow money from the Chinese and for the Federal Reserve to print more money.

The time will come that the Chinese will no longer want American debt and will want to collect. In order for the Chinese collect, America will need to raise funds. To raise the funds it will take revenue and the way Governments raise revenue is through taxes. Right now the anger is focused on the rich and the expectation that the rich need to pay more taxes. There will come a time when taxes will fall to the middle and lower class.

Right now the plan is tax the rich more but do not be fooled that everyone will be expected to pay more taxes as it your “patriotic duty” according to Vice President Biden. The excessive taxation and enormous growth of Government is why “Tea Parties” took place on April 15th. To help mitigate the increase in taxes for all and to take bold moves to stem the tide of violence on the American-Mexican border it is time to legalize drugs.

By legalizing illicit drugs the United States government will be able to tax and regulate the potency and purity of illicit drugs. Another aspect is the creation of jobs through transportation, production, and selling of illicit drugs. A byproduct of legalization is it will encourage addicts to seek treatment since the use of an illegal product is no longer demonized.

Personally I am not an illicit drug user nor will legalization drive me to use illicit drugs which are the fear of opponents to legalizing drugs. I agree with President Obama that Americans need to make tough choices and one of those tough choices ought to be to legalize illicit drug use.